Reports on Values and Community

Reports are listed in reverse chronological order.

Most Like It Hot
18 Mar 09 When it comes to places to live, Americans by about 2-1 say they prefer a hotter place to one with a colder climate. No surprise, then, that San Diego, Tampa and Orlando rank at the top of places to live for those who like it hot. But for hearty folks who like their weather on the chilly side, Denver, Seattle and Portland top the list of favorite places to call home, according to a recent survey by the Pew Social & Demographic Trends project.

Magnet or Sticky? : A State-by-State Typology
11 Mar 09 At first glance, magnet and sticky states may seem to be mirror opposites of each other, and it is true that most states score high on one scale and low on another. But it turns out that 10 states rank high on both scales, and another nine score low on both. Find out where your state lands in the typology below.

Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content
26 Feb 09 Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, but that doesn't mean Americans want to live there.

Even as Housing Values Sink, There's Comfort in Homeownership
19 Feb 09 Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership.

McDonald's and Starbucks: 43% Yin, 35% Yang
10 Feb 09 In the smackdown between Big Macs and caffe lattes, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun.

For Nearly Half of America, Grass Is Greener Somewhere Else; Denver Tops List of Favorite Cities
29 Jan 09 Where would Americans most like to live -- and how do they feel about the place they currently call home?

Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where’s Home?
17 Dec 08 As a nation, the United States is often portrayed as restless and rootless. Census data, though, indicate that Americans are settling down. Only 13% of Americans changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the smallest share since the government began tracking this trend in the late 1940s.

Americans Say They Like Diverse Communities; Election, Census Trends Suggest Otherwise
2 Dec 08 Despite pro-diversity attitudes expressed in a Pew survey, American communities appear to have grown more politically and economically homogenous in recent decades.

Republicans: Still Happy Campers
23 Oct 08 Chin up, Republicans. Despite the imploding stock market, the looming recession, the unpopular president and the dismal political polls, there’s very good news in the one realm of life that’s always been a special sanctuary for you. Personal happiness.

Men or Women: Who’s the Better Leader?: A Paradox in Public Attitudes
25 Aug 08 Americans rate women superior to men in terms of honesty, intelligence and other traits they value highly in leaders, according to a new national survey. But only 6% of respondents say that, overall, women make better political leaders than men.

America's Four Middle Classes
29 Jul 08 The Top of the Class, the Satisfied Middle, the Anxious Middle and the Struggling Middle – what unites and divides the majority of Americans who call themselves “middle class.”

The Middle Class Blues: Pricey Neighborhoods, High Stress
29 May 08 When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life
9 Apr 08 Americans feel stuck in their tracks. Most survey respondents say that in the past five years, they either haven’t moved forward in life (25%) or have fallen backward (31%) -- the most downbeat assessment in nearly half a century of polling by the Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization. But at the same time, two-thirds say they have a higher standard of living than their parents had.

Do Blacks and Hispanics Get Along?: Yes, but Not Always, and Not about Everything
31 Jan 08 While blacks and Hispanics hold broadly favorable views of each other, Hispanics are less likely to say the two groups get along well. At the same time, African Americans are far more likely than Latinos to say blacks are frequently the victims of racial discrimination, according to a recent survey of racial and ethnic attitudes by the Pew Research Center.

Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class: Optimism about Black Progress Declines
13 Nov 07 African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race.

As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact: Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors
1 Jul 07 At a time when nearly four-in-ten births in this country are to an unmarried mother, the public says unwed parenting is a big problem for society. But Americans are far less inclined now than a generation ago to say children are important to a successful marriage, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Who Flies the Flag? Not Always Who You Might Think: A Closer Look at Patriotism
27 Jun 07 For many Americans, demonstrating patriotism means showing the flag; overall, 62% say they do so. Notably, significantly more Northeasterners and Midwesterners fly the flag than do residents of the South or the West.

Being Dad May Be Tougher These Days, but Working Moms are among Their Biggest Fans
13 Jun 07 Most people agree that it is harder to be a father now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, yet the verdict is mixed on how well today's dads measure up -- about half of the public says they're doing a worse job when compared with fathers a generation ago. But, a majority (56%) of women say today's dads are handling their fatherly duties as well or better than in the past.

Four-in-Ten Americans Have Close Friends or Relatives Who are Gay: Survey finds Familiarity Is Closely Linked to Greater Tolerance
23 May 07 A new survey also finds that those with homosexual or lesbian relatives or friends are more likely to accept gay marriage and oppose the firing of gay teachers.

Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream
22 May 07 The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less Success: Mom's Biggest Critics are Middle-Aged Women
2 May 07 From managing busy schedules to dealing with outside influences, mothers have their hands full these days - and middle-aged women are their sharpest critics. At the same time, fully 70% of the public says it's harder to be a mother today than it was 20 or 30 years ago; somewhat fewer (60%) say the same about being a father.

Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
22 Feb 07 Just under half of Americans say most people can be trusted, while 50% say you can't be too careful, a new Pew survey finds. Whites are more trusting than blacks or Hispanics. High income folks are more trusting than those with low incomes. The married are more trusting than the unmarried. The old are more trusting than the young. And rural folks are more trusting than their city cousins.

A Barometer of Modern Morals: Sex, Drugs, and the 1040
28 Mar 06 Cheating on your taxes, cheating on your spouse and other questions of right and wrong.